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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2026-72438: md/raid10: fix writes_pending and barrier reference leaks on discard failures

HighCVSS 7.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 30/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.50% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • According to CISA the attack is automatable: targets can be found by mass scanning.
  • Fixed version: Linux Linux 11b35d1906a7277a3d64afe34224133b44327328, 2d264c00beadcc67f16d683ab27eed28c047ba2e, 393d687131d8aa8c7e4de2cb494438e145d20fc2; azl3 kernel 6.6.152.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 Release Notes; azl3 kernel 6.6.157.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 Release Notes.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 11b35d1906a7277a3d64afe34224133b44327328, 2d264c00beadcc67f16d683ab27eed28c047ba2e, 393d687131d8aa8c7e4de2cb494438e145d20fc2; azl3 kernel 6.6.152.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 Release Notes; azl3 kernel 6.6.157.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 Release Notes or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: md/raid10: fix writes_pending and barrier reference leaks on discard failures raid10_make_request() acquires a writes_pending reference with md_write_start() before calling raid10_handle_discard(). Several failure paths in raid10_handle_discard() complete the bio and return without releasing the corresponding reference, causing md_write_end() to be skipped. Call md_write_end() before returning from these failure paths to keep writes_pending accounting balanced. Additionally, discard split allocation failures can occur after wait_barrier() succeeds. Those paths return without calling allow_barrier(), leaking the associated barrier reference. Release the barrier before returning from those paths.

Published
Aug 15, 2026
Updated
Oct 30, 2026
EPSS
0.5% · 43th percentile
CWE
—

Report tools

JSON

Action score

30

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
30 / 40 · 7.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.5%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
yes
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
—
CNA · Linux
7.5
NVD has not scored this yet; the score shown is the CNA’s.

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2026-72438

When you'll hear from us

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  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

—

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 39db562b3fedb93978a7e42dd216b306740959f8, 5.17affected
    • c9aa889b035fca4598ae985a0f0c76ebbb547ad2 and later · before 2d264c00beadcc67f16d683ab27eed28c047ba2eaffected · git
    • c9aa889b035fca4598ae985a0f0c76ebbb547ad2 and later · before 80ac31cce55432034a9eb98262c92ace7866e494affected · git
    • c9aa889b035fca4598ae985a0f0c76ebbb547ad2 and later · before fea33968592559a55a3f5a96a6386bebcaf988a8affected · git
    • c9aa889b035fca4598ae985a0f0c76ebbb547ad2 and later · before 11b35d1906a7277a3d64afe34224133b44327328affected · git
    • c9aa889b035fca4598ae985a0f0c76ebbb547ad2 and later · before d1324b41dabd26787559efaeb430643c627c1eb0affected · git
    • c9aa889b035fca4598ae985a0f0c76ebbb547ad2 and later · before 393d687131d8aa8c7e4de2cb494438e145d20fc2affected · git
    • 5.15.111 and later · before 5.16affected · semver
    • before 5.17not affected · semver
    • 6.1.191 and later · up to and including 6.1.*not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12linuxfrom 0—
Debian:12linux-6.12before 6.12.111-1~deb12u16.12.111-1~deb12u1
Debian:13linuxbefore 6.12.111-16.12.111-1
Debian:14linuxbefore 7.1.5-17.1.5-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-74705udp: fix potential use-after-free in tunnel segmentation
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-74612veth: fix skb length accounting after XDP frag adjustment
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-74475vxlan: use neigh_ha_snapshot() in route_shortcircuit()
    40Plan

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-72436Aug 15, 2026 · netfilter: ipset: Don't use test_bit() in lockless RCU readers in hash types
    39Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2026-72437Aug 15, 2026 · md/raid1: free r1_bio when REQ_NOWAIT is set and read would block on retry
    0Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2026-72439Aug 15, 2026 · md/raid10: fix writes_pending leak on write request failures
    0Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux11b35d1906a7277a3d64afe34224133b44327328Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux2d264c00beadcc67f16d683ab27eed28c047ba2eVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux393d687131d8aa8c7e4de2cb494438e145d20fc2Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux5.16Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux80ac31cce55432034a9eb98262c92ace7866e494Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxd1324b41dabd26787559efaeb430643c627c1eb0Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxfea33968592559a55a3f5a96a6386bebcaf988a8Vendor (CNA)
azl3 kernel 6.6.152.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
azl3 kernel 6.6.157.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
azl3 kernel 6.6.159.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.06.6.161.1-1 · Release NotesMicrosoft (MSRC)
debian:linux6.12.111-1 · Debian:13Package registry (OSV)
debian:linux-6.126.12.111-1~deb12u1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Not on record for this CVE: patch commit or PR link · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
  • No account or password is required.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Network
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

—

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

nvd-secondary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

References

Show all references (5 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records